What if common sense
by themeltdownqueen
Summary: What if Sirius had gained custody of Harry after James' and Lily's deaths? What if Lucius had been thrown into Azkaban for his crimes? Just how different would the story have been? Includes slash; don't like, don't read.
1. prologue- part 1

"Hagrid," Dumbledore said, looking relieved. "You have Harry?"

" 'Fraid not, sir," Hagrid replied, slightly nervous. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "I would trust you with my life, Hagrid," he muttered. "Don't tell me I've put my trust in the wrong place."

Hagrid's eyes widened at that, shocked. "O-o' course not, Dumbledore, s-sir!" he stammered worriedly, his arm going up in a clumsy salute. "I jus' wasn't able to bring Harry 'ere, is all!"

Dumbledore just stared at Hagrid impatiently. "And _why_ , Hagrid, were you not able to bring Harry here? And _why_ -" he continued, staring at the motorbike as if noticing it for the first time, "did you come here on a _motorbike_? And why is it-"

" **Enough!** "

Dumbledore and Hagrid turned from where they were to see that McGonagall had risen from where she'd sat on the wall, glaring shrewdly at Dumbledore. "Really, Albus, calm down. I'm sure there's a reason as to why Hagrid couldn't bring Harry here. Am I right, Hagrid?" the professor asked, turning to face Hagrid.

Hagrid, still a bit shaken from the outburst, nodded. "Er- yea, I got 'im out o' the house alright before the muggles started swarmin' around, bu' then i ran into young Sirius Black, an-"

"Hagrid, Sirius was their secret keeper. Please tell me you didn't give Harry to the man who revealed the Potters' location to Voldemort," Dumbledore forced out, fighting to remain calm, rage starting to build behind his half-moon glasses.

"N-no, not at all, sir!" Hagrid stammered out. " When I saw him, he told me wha' _really_ happened. He wasn' even their real secret keeper! They jus' said that so tha' you-know-who wouldn' go after their _real_ secret keeper, Peter Pettigrew, their other friend. Turns out he was workin' for you-know-who all along!

"Tha's when Remus Lupin showed up, so o' course when Sirius told 'im what he told me, he thought of checking 'is wand for spells, an' it turns out he really is innocent!"

During all of this, Dumbledore had only half-heard, his blood still boiling, but when Hagrid said that Sirius was innocent, he started to calm down, as he realized what Hagrid was about to say. McGonagall just sighed, also realizing what this meant.

"I dread the day when i have to teach a child raised by Sirius," McGonagall groaned, already envisioning what new kinds of mayhem would ensure at Hogwarts once Harry got there.

"Now, Minerva, I'm sure Remus will at least manage to make the boy manageable," Dumbledore chuckled, the twinkle in his eye a bit brighter than usual. "Now, I really should be heading back to Hogwarts. Goodnight, Hagrid- Minerva," he said, nodding to each of them in turn.

" Well, I'd best this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall- Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid replied, swinging one of his enormous legs over the enchanted motorbike. McGonagall nodded to the two, then stepped back as Hagrid took off into the air.

Once Hagrid had left, Dumbledore pulled the Put-outer out of his robes and clicked it once. Immediately 12 orange balls of light sped back to their places left, so that you could just make out a cat slinking behind a corner of the wall.

"Good luck, Harry," Dumbledore muttered, and with a swish of his cloak he was gone.


	2. prologue- part 2

_ONE MONTH LATER_

"Lucius, I've always respected you, and you know that," Cornelius Fudge began. _As if,_ he Lucius thought to himself. _You were terrified of me, and you still are._ "But the fact of the matter is, irrefutable evidence has been shown against you, proving that not only were you a Death Eater, but you were also in you-know-who's inner circle, you assisted the torturing of several muggleborns and colleagues, and you cast several Unforgivable curses, hospitalizing and murdering several witches, wizards, and muggles."

Lucius fought to keep a neutral expression on his face. _How did this happen to me_ , he wondered. _What happened that made me go from up on top to lowest of the low?_ _What could've possibly ruined me so completely?_

"The only defense that you've brought up against this is that you were being controlled by magic. If there was _any_ proof or slight bit of evidence even _suggesting_ the idea of this being true, we might pardon you temporarily to investigate it." _No you wouldn't._ "But the fact is, the only thing that suggests this being true is your word, and your word has not been very dependable of late." _Oh, I wonder why,_ he thought, sarcasm filling his thoughts.

"So, it is with a heavy heart that I must sentence you to a lifetime of Azkaban."

Time seemed to stop for Lucius. He couldn't hear Fudge as he ordered Lucius' wand to be snapped, nor did he hear the sound of his wand being broken to pieces in front of him. He stood in shock as his thoughts became jumbled and unordered. _The rest of my life in Azkaban no this isn't supposed to happen I'm supposed to come out on top who did this let me go this shouldn't be happening let me go let me go-_

 ***THUMP***

Fudge looked over from where he was standing down to where Lucius had been only moments before, only to find him in a crumpled heap on the floor. The sight made him smile. "I'm so glad we're _finally_ going to be rid of him." On that note, he nodded for the wizards standing on either side of him, and in sync, the two moved forward to pick up the now unconscious wizard.

*

 _It was Potter._

Lucius had woken up already in his cell in Azkaban, his mind foggy and his body battered and weak. He'd fought forfor what could've been minutes or days just to form a coherent thought, and this was the result.

 _It was Potter._

If that Potter child hadn't survived the Dark Lord's curse, he would still be free and on top. The Dark Lord would win, and he, Lucius, would be put in an even higher position. But instead, _Harry Potter_ survived, the Dark Lord was defeated, and he was in Azkaban for the rest of his life.

 _It was Potter._

 _I must believe that the Dark Lord will return. He is the most powerful wizard ever to live, and he will come and free me. And when he does, that Potter child will pay._

 _It was Potter._

He smiled grimly. The dementors weren't having much of an effect on him, since he was almost never happy anyway. He _would_ escape. He _would_ find Potter and he _would_ get his revenge- and his reputation back.

 _It was Potter._

Oh, they could try, but nothing could hold down Lucius Malfoy for very long. Not even Azkaban.


	3. Cleansweep

**For those of you reading this, hello! And for those of you that want to skip ahead to the actual story, by all means, go right ahead.**

 **I did, however, want to acknowledge and thank the people who saw my writing and decided it was worth following. I've never been a good writer, so it means a lot to me that people ate interested in what I have to say, so thank you. :)**

 **I'd also like to specifically acknowledge the people who commented on here:**

 **Crimsoncat215: Don't we all. I also happen to be a big fan of Sirius, and if you're a fan of Wolfstar, I think you'll enjoy this chapter!**

 **Guest (whoever you are) : You're right, the amount of common sense in the wizarding world is shockingly low.** **I'm so glad that I have the chance to make the story a little more sensible.**

 **I should warn you that this fanfic includes quite a bit of Wolfstar, which, if you don't know what that is, is the Remus and Sirius ship. If you're not a fan of this ship, either don't read or bear with me, because this is what I believe souls have and should have happened.**

 **Now, on with the story!**

Down the crowded streets of Diagon Alley ran a small, excited child, leaving behind a trail of accidental magic and two very out of breath wizards. The child had long and incredibly messy black hair that flew out behind him, and a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his forehead.

Just in front of the wizards struggling to catch up with the child, there was an explosion as one of the cauldrons in front of a nearby shop blew up, shreds of nearby parchment and wooden signs cascading downward.

The first wizard, dressed like a muggle biker with long black hair nowhere near as messy as the child's, pulled out his wand and muttered a spell under his breath, stopping the debris and leaving it hanging in the air as other nearby witches and wizards started to clean it up.

The second wizard, wearing a plaid sweater, put a hand on the first one's shoulder as he gasped for breath. "Why- *pant* is he- *gasp* so fast?" he forced out, then started to breathe normally.

"Well, how should I know, Remus?" the first wizard replied, almost laughing. "Maybe he's inherited his father's speed. After all, James did a lot of running."

"Sirius, please," Remus said indignantly. Then he looked around them. "Wonderful! Now we've lost track of him! Again!"

"I'm sure Harry is fine," Sirius replied. "He knows where he's headed. Now come on, let's go catch up to him." Then Sirius ran in the direction that the child- Harry- had disappeared to.

"You're impossible," Remus muttered under his breath, then took of after him.

*

"What's wrong?"

Harry had made it to the broom shop that his uncles Moony and Padfoot had promised to take him to, only to find another boy his age with bright blonde hair crying at the door. When Harry spoke, the boy looked up.

"Everyone hates me because my dad was a bad man," he whimpered, tears still coming out of his eyes.

Harry was shocked. "Why do they hate you then? You didn't do anything wrong."

The boy started to cry again. "I don't knoooww!" he wailed, tears streaming from his face.

Harry pet him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't cry," he said, worried. "Don't worry about those people. They're just being mean. And I'll be your friend, if that helps, " he added brightly. "What's your name?"

The blonde boy looked up, the tears in his eyes quickly being replaced by hope. "Draco Malfoy," he said, his voice shaking.

Harry smiled. "I'm Harry Potter," he replied.

Draco's eyes widened. He appeared to be paralyzed with shock. "You're- you're Harry Potter," he stammered. "You're the one that beat you-know-who!"

At that moment, Sirius and Remus reached the broom shop. At the sight of Harry, Sirius smirked. "See, Moony, I told you he'd be fine, didn't I?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Padfoot," Remus sighed, rolling his eyes. He turned to Harry. "Who's this, Harry?" he asked, smiling at the boys.

Harry beamed up at Remus. "This is Draco Malfoy!" he said excitedly. "He's my new friend! But some people don't like him, because his dad was mean. I like him though!"

Remus's eyes widened at the name Malfoy, but after Harry finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, Draco. My name is Remus Lupin."

"And I'm very _Sirius_ about getting to know more about you, Draco," Sirius spoke from behind Remus, going around him to see Draco. Remus groaned. "This," he said, gesturing to Sirius, "is Sirius."

Draco looked confused. "But you're both boys," he said, "why are you both taking care of Harry?"

"Boys can be in love with each other too," Harry told Draco. "Moony and Padfoot just don't know that they love each other yet."

"Oh, OK," Draco replied, then turned to look at one of the brooms in the window. As he and Harry started to talk about what brooms they wanted, Sirius turned to Remus quizzically.

"What's Harry talking about, Sirius?" Remus wondered. "We're just friends. I mean, yes, boys can like boys, but we're just friends."

"Maybe since we spend so much time together, he just thinks we're in love," Sirius suggested. "After all, he's only seven." Still, Sirius couldn't help but start to wonder. He had always felt close to Remus, but romantically?... He wasn't sure anymore.

"We've been standing outside the sore for too long," Remus declared, taking Sirius out of his thoughts. "Let's head inside and get you that new Cleansweep, eh, Harry?"

Harry and Draco looked up excitedly. "You're getting a new Cleansweep?" Draco bounced up and down excitedly. "I love flying, you have to let me teach you!"

"OK!" Harry replied, just as excited, and the two ran into the shop.

*

Harry and Draco had made quick work of navigating the broom shop, finding not only the new Cleansweep, but also a broom cleaning set, a book on how to fly a broom, and a Quaffle, on Draco's insistence that "if you have a broom, you should be able to play Quidditch too."

As Sirius and Remus pulled out their wallets to pay for everything the boys had found, Draco pulled out a big wad of cash from his pockets and paid for everything for them. Harry looked at him in shock. "You didn't have to do that," he told his newfound friend, but Draco just smiled at him.

"You can pay me back with a favor later, if it makes you feel better," Draco replied, then turned to look at some other brooms. "I've been meaning to get a new broom anyway, could you help me look?"

As the two boys walked off to search the store, Remus began to feel uncomfortable. As much as he'd tried to brush it off, he couldn't stop thinking about Harry's earlier comment. No one had ever figured out that he'd had a crush on Sirius since fifth year, and he was sure that Sirius only saw him as a friend, especially since he always flirted with any girl that showed even a hint of interest. So how was it that young Harry thought they were in love?

Maybe he had figured out about Remus's crush on Sirius- though he had no clue how he would have figured that out- and being so young, believed that if someone likes someone else, the other must also like the first someone.

Remus turned his head to look at Sirius, only to find Sirius looking at him. They both immediately turned their heads away. Remus could practically hear his cheeks go red as for the first time, he considered the possibility that Sirius liked him back. What he didn't know was that Sirius was wondering the same thing about himself.

Remus had always been someone important to Sirius, and he felt closer to Remus than he'd ever felt to anyone, even James, his best friend. He'd always wondered what could be the cause of it, but until now, with Harry's saying of them being in love, did he even consider the possibility of being in love with Remus.

 _It would explain a lot,_ a voice in his head spoke. _Why you only ever flirt with girls when he's with you, why you constantly have him on your mind, why he's so important to you, why you've scared off anyone who so much as looks at him in a flirtatious way._ And suddenly he was in shock. Because Harry was right. Because he couldn't imagine Remus with anyone else. Because he was in love with Remus Lupin.

"Padfoot!"

Sirius snapped back to attention, immediately going into a joking salute, forcing out a quick "Yes, sir!" without turning to face Remus.

"I said it's time to go, and you can face me, by the way, it's not full moon," Remus said irritably, then went over to pick up Harry, who was waving goodbye to a leaving Draco.

Sirius quickly turned his eyes away from the sight of Remus, suddenly unable to stop sweating. The sight of Remus had never affected him before, but now that he knew how he felt...? It was impossible to look at him without blushing profusely. He supposed he would have to hide it somehow, considering how much Remus came over.

"Let's go, guys," he muttered, trying and failing to act normally, before walking out of the shop.

*

For the next few weeks, Sirius did the best he could to avoid Remus- which was difficult, considering how much he came over. Whenever they were in the same room, Sirius would quickly excuse himself, and Remus began to wonder why.

"Is Sirius OK, Harry?" Remus asked one day after Sirius quickly went to the kitchen to make sandwiches. Harry replied: "He only acts like this when you're here, uncle Moony. It's because he loves you! You should go to dinner tomorrow!"

Remus opened his mouth to correct Harry- there was no way Sirius was in _love_ with him- but stopped when he saw Sirius standing in the doorway, a sandwich in his hands. And judging by the look on his face, he had heard what Harry had said. Both he and Remus were mortified. Harry, however, was delighted by the sudden development.

"See, I _told_ you, uncle Moony!" he squealed out excitedly, unable to contain his excitement. "I can go to Neville's house tomorrow, and you two can go out together!" He jumped up off the couch he was seated on with Remus and started to run to his room. "I'll owl him and ask!" he called back to them as he disappeared from sight.

Remus was so in shock at Harry's sudden outburst that he almost missed what Sirius said next.

"That boy is a bloody genius."

At first he didn't realize what his friend had said. Then he looked up at him quizzically, trying hard to keep the hope out of his eyes, and unknowingly failing. "Is he right?"

Sirius cursed under his breath. _Can't believe I said that out loud,_ he thought, then turned to face his long-time friend. "Well, no point in denying it now," he sighed, then plopped down on the couch and took a bite of his sandwich.

"So you _do_ love me, then," Remus realized, relief lining his voice.

"Of course I bloody well love you," Sirius huffed. "Course I didn't actually _know_ that I do until Harry said so. So you can go ahead and reject me and we can move on with our lives."

Remus grinned. "Now, Padfoot, where did you get that idea?"

Sirius turned to Remus quizzically. "Get what idea?" he asked, his mouth stuffed with more of his sandwich.

Remus rolled his eyes. "That I was going to reject you,"he clarified.

"Oh. Well, I..." Sirius trailed off as what Remus had said began to sink in. "Oh!"

Remus smirked, then started to speak, "Now wha-!" He was cut off by Sirius covering his mouth with his.

At first he was shocked, but then he closed his eyes and leaned in, returning the kiss. It was everything he thought it would be, except that his breath still smelled like the sandwich he had just consumed. He felt Sirius run his tongue along his teeth, but before he could give Sirius access-

"You guys should really listen to me more."

They quickly broke apart to see Harry standing in front of the couch, smirking. "Next time, though," he quickly added, "let me know before you start kissing. That was _gross._ "

Remus immediately turned red. If Harry hadn't spoken when he had, who knows how far they would have gone.

"Sorry about that, Harry," Sirius chuckled, getting up and ruffling the boy's hair. "Maybe I will take out Moony tomorrow." He turned to Remus, smirking like his normal self. "If he wants, that is."

"Well, of course. I'd love to," Remus replied, grinning like an idiot. "Harry, did you send Neville a letter like you said?"

Harry shook his head. "Marley was sleeping," he said, referring to the owl he'd renowned for his 5th birthday from Neville's family, "and I didn't want to wake her up."

"I'll go floo-message them," Sirius replied, them headed to the fireplace. Then Remus noticed the clock. "I'd better head home," he told them, and after a quick ruffling of Harry's hair and an embrace from Sirius, headed home.

 _And to think, none of this would've happened if I hadn't thought to check his and Peter's wands,_ he thought to himself.

 **\--**

 **Next chapter preview:**

Draco searched through his robes, holding them up one by one in a mirror. "Too frilly," he muttered at one, "Too fuzzy," he grumbled at another, and threw one down in disgust with a shriek of "Why do I have a pink robe?!"

"Because it's for Valentine's day, dear," Narcissa Malfoy said as she walked into her son's room. "And besides, you won't be wearing robes there anyway. Harry has muggle friends coming too."

Draco sighed overdramatically. "Mother, I have to have something I can wear that's acceptable. But everything is wrong. Nothing seems right. It's his birthday, for Salazar's sake!"

"That's why I brought these," his mother replied, and threw some muggle clothes on his bed. "Be ready in an hour, that's when we head to Harry's house."

Draco groaned and picked up the clothes as he watched his mother leave the room. They appeared to be a simple pair of blue jeans and a solid green T-shirt. _At least I get to wear some green,_ he thought as he started to pull the shirt on.


	4. Explosion

**Hello again! Sorry its been a while, school's starting in just a couple days for me, so I've had the hectic "get-everything-done-before-school-starts" routine, you know the one. Hopefully this chapter is enough to make up for the wait. :)**

 **Disclaimer: *weeps in a corner* I still don't own Harry Potter**

\--

Draco searched through his robes, holding them up one by one in a mirror. "Too frilly," he muttered at one, "Too fuzzy," he grumbled at another, and threw one down in disgust with a shriek of "Why do I have a pink robe?!"

"Because it's for Valentine's day, dear," Narcissa Malfoy said as she walked into her son's room. "And besides, you won't be wearing robes anyway. Harry has muggle friends coming too."

Draco sighed overdramatically. "Mother, I have to have something I can wear that's acceptable. But everything's wrong. Nothing seems right. It's his birthday, for Salazar's sake!"

"That's why I brought these," his mother replied, and threw some muggle clothes on his bed. "Be ready in an hour, that's when we head to Harry's house."

Draco groaned and picked up the clothes as he watched his mother leave the room. They appeared to be a simple pair of blue jeans and a solid green T-shirt. _At least I get to wear some green,_ he thought as he started to pull the shirt on.

*

Pansy twirled in front of the mirror, the black dress she was wearing flowing around her. She looked spectacular in her opinion, and it would definitely grab his attention.

Pansy and Draco had grown up knowing each other, constantly going to each other's homes and flying on their brooms, with Harry joining them after Draco had introduced them to each other.

Her father had been trying to create an arranged marriage between her and Draco for years, starting after Lucius had been thrown into Azkaban, since her father and Lucius had hated each other.

Narcissa had been surprisingly stubborn, according to Pansy's father, saying that she wanted her son to marry for love and nothing else. So Pansy, not wanting to be rejected by her father, decided to make Draco fall in love with her.

Easier said than done. Pansy didn't see Draco that way, and they were both only 10, so how was she supposed to get his attention? She decided that for now, she would just try to be around him a lot and make herself as aesthetically appealing as possible.

Satisfied with the dress she was wearing, she turned and pulled on the matching heels, then headed to the fireplace to floo to Malfoy Manor.

*

Draco entered the drawing room just in time to see Pansy, his best friend, stumble out of the fireplace, overdressed. He smirked in amusement. Recently, she'd been dressing up at every opportunity.

"Hullo, Parkinson," he spoke, forcing the laughter out of his voice. "And here I thought we were going to Harry's for his birthday, but clearly we're going to a gala instead. Please, allow me to go change."

"Oh, shut it, Draco," she retaliated. "Excuse me for wanting to look nice."

"You _always_ want to look nice," he drawled. "And besides, it's not like you have to wear dresses at every moment for that."

 _Note to self: dressing up doesn't get his attention,_ she thought, then smirked. "Where's your mom? She's our way there, after all."

Draco rolled his eyes. "She'll be here in a moment," he answered. "Where's your present for him?"

Pansy pointed to a black gift box on a chair. "Where's yours?"

"That's where Mother is," Draco replied. "It's pretty heavy, so she's sending it ahead."

At that moment, Narcissa entered the drawing room. "Pansy, good to see you," she spoke, nodding in her direction briefly. "Ready to go?"

Pansy picked up her gift box and the two kids headed towards her. Each of them grabbed one of her arms, and then after a moment, they had apparated in front of Harry's home, a simple one-story building with eggshell-white walls.

Pansy turned to him, smirking. "Good thing you made it this time! Imagine if you had the stomach bug like last year!"

Unfortunately, for Harry's last birthday, Draco had had an incredibly violent case of a stomach bug, and had missed the party. The toilet never worked the same again. This year, he'd avoided all human contact whatsoever in the days leading up to Harry's birthday so he wouldn't have a repeat.

"His muggle friend is pretty nice too," Pansy continued. "We think she might be a muggleborn."

Draco turned to her in surprise. "Really? And only one muggle friend?"

"Everyone else thinks she's a big nerd, so Harry is kind of her only friend. It's why he never comes to big wizard parties on holidays with us."

"Oh."

Then the door opened. Standing in the doorway was Sirius Black, a mischievous grin on his face as always.

"Hello, Draco, Pansy, Mrs. Malfoy," he greeted them, then stepped out of the way. " We recieved the gift you sent ahead. Come on in; you're the first to get here."

Narcissa breezed past Sirius with only a nod of acknowledgement; they weren't on the best terms.

Pansy and Draco entered the living room to see a grinning Harry sitting on the couch, his excitement barely contained. He wore a hideous, green fuzzy sweater and brown slacks, and his messy hair was everywhere as usual.

"Glad you made it this time, Draco. Actually wearing muggle clothes now, are you?" Harry joked, raising an eyebrow.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I've heard enough of that from Pansy, don't you start now, Harry."

Pansy set her gift box on the table and turned, smirking.

"I haven't said a thing," Pansy said as she set her gift box on the table. "He's the one who said I was overdressed."

"Well, he's not wrong," Harry pointed out, a smirk forming on his face that rivaled his uncle Padfoot's.

*

Harry waited by the door.

A few minutes after Draco and Pansy, Neville had arrived with a large and apparently heavy present in a big yellow box, which he'd set down next to the table. After greetings had been exchanged, Harry had gone to the door and hadn't spoken since.

"What could be taking this girl so long?" Draco demanded, pacing in front of the couch.

"She's not taking long, we all showed up early," Pansy told him from the couch. "And stop pacing, it's annoying."

Draco stopped pacing and sat on the couch by Pansy. "When _will_ she show up?"

"She's Harry's best friend; she'll be here any second now," Neville replied from the table, where he'd flopped to the ground after setting down his present.

As if on cue, they heard the door open and an excited female voice say "Harry!"

After a moment, Harry walked back into the living room, a girl right behind him.

The girl had incredibly bushy brown hair that was like a messy lion's name around her. Her bright hazelnut eyes sparkled with intelligence. She was astounding to look at. Draco immediately turned away so no one would see the slight heat that had built in his cheeks.

"Hi, Hermione!" Neville waved weakly from his spot on the floor.

The girl- Hermione- laughed as she walked over to Neville and started to pull him up. "Honestly, Neville, I'd thought you'd be able to stand on your own by _now_!"

As everyone else laughed and started to talk to Hermione, Draco felt the heat rising in his cheeks. _What's wrong with my face_ , he wondered as he forced the color away. He stood cautiously and went over to the bushy-haired girl.

"So you're the one I missed out on meeting last year," he drawled, skimming a hand over his platinum-blonde hair. "When Pansy said your hair was a mess, I thought she was exaggerating, but clearly she wasn't thorough enough in her description."

Hermione's hazelnut eyes narrowed. "I assume you're Draco Malfoy? she inquired, raising an eyebrow. "When they told me you bleached your hair, I thought they were kidding."

Draco faltered for just a moment, just long enough for only Pansy to notice. "I bet you think you're oh so clever, don't you?" Draco dragged out. "There are things you'll probably never even suspect about the world that everyone else here has grown up knowing. Too bad for you, isn't it?"

"Draco," Harry tried, but Draco cut him off.

"And Harry would know better than anyone, wouldn't you, Harry? Harry's been through things you'll never even think twice about, whatever-your-last-name-is."

Hermione went red in the face. "It's Granger," she spat at Draco. "And if you're talking about his birth parents-"

"Exactly. You'll never know about the truth, the way they died and why, because it's too complex for someone like you to ever understand, Granger!" Draco raged at her, his voice rising with every word. "I think I'm done here, I can't stand another minute around _you._ "

Then he turned and left, leaving everyone else shocked. "Enjoy your new bookshelf, Harry," he called over his shoulder.

After he was gone, Hermione turned to Harry, confused. "How are you friends with someone so unpleasant?" she asked him, brows furrowed.

"He's not usually like that," Harry managed to say, still looking at where Draco had been standing. "A little self-centered at times, but he's never exploded like that."

"I think I know what's going on with him," Pansy spoke up from where she was on the couch. "I'll talk to him after the party."

"Alright," Harry sighed dejectedly. "Thanks, Pansy."

Hermione sighed. From what she'd been told, Draco wasn't so rude, saying things about her not understanding the truth...

"Harry," Hermione said cautiously, "what did he mean about me not understanding the truth, that someone like me wasn't able to know?"

Harry snapped up from his seat, an edgy nervousness bringing the feeling back into his legs.

*

Draco stumbled away from his mother as they reappeared in the drawing room, face tinged pink from his brief encounter with Harry's muggle friend.

"Draco," Narcissa spoke sternly, "why did you storm out like that? You had been so excited about going! And you almost revealed our true nature to that muggle girl!"

"Mother," he sighed, turning on his heel to face her. "I don't _know_. That girl, Granger, she just got on my nerves, and I don't know how. And as for the near reveal, it's not _my_ problem. Harry and the others think she's a muggleborn witch anyway."

"But what if they're wrong, Draco?" Narcissa raised her voice at her son for the first time in his life, and he was stunned into silence. "You might have just given a muggle good reason to suspect our existence, not to mention an extremely curious one with a wizard hero for a best friend!"

Draco looked down at his feet, ashamed. "I don't know what it is about her," he muttered, "but something about that Granger girl just makes me so... I don't know... worked up."

Narcissa's eyes widened, then she nodded in understanding. "I think I might have a theory," she told her son. "I'll look into it. In the meantime, you go on upstairs. And next time, try not to explode."

Draco nodded, somewhat calmer now. "Yes, mother," he said, then turned and left the drawing room.

Narcissa smiled as she watched her son leave, then turned and went out the other door, the one that went straight into the library.

*

"Well, Harry?"

Harry turned to Hermione, who was now staring him down with a fierce glare.

"Um... I..."

"You _have_ been keeping secrets from me!" Her expression changed to one of hurt, then to anger. "I thought we aged to never keep secrets," she seethed. "What could you possibly have to tell all your friends except me? Can I just not _understand_ what it means?" She hissed, going red in the face.

"No, that's not it!" Harry cried out desperately. "I'm just not allowed to let you know because-"

" _Why_ can you not tell _me,_ but you _can_ tell your friend with the bleached hair?" Hermione demanded.

"I didn't tell him, he already knew," Harry explained honestly. "I want to tell you, I really do, but I can't for reasons I can't explain."

Hermione's eyes narrowed, suspicious. "Then how come they can?" she asked, gesturing towards Neville, then Pansy. "Why can they, but not me?"

Harry swallowed nervously, but before he could respond, Pansy cut in. "Our families are involved. So is Draco's. It's an extremely long story, and we're not allowed to give out any information," she told Hermione smoothly, nodding her head imperceptibly.

Hermione started to nod her head, Pansy's words going through her. "I get it now," she said after a moment. Then she turned back to Harry. "Sorry for prying," she apologized, "I was upset. Your friend- what's his name?"

Harry smiled, relieved. "His name is Draco Malfoy," he told her.

"Right. Malfoy's not the subtlest, is he?" Hermione laughed, smiling.

"Actually, he usually is," Pansy piped up again. "I think maybe he's just stressed about some stuff right now."

"What kind of stuff?" Neville, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke. "He's normally so calm."

Pansy sighed. "I'll take care of it after the party. Now, Harry, where was it you're taking us again?"

Harry stood eagerly and grabbed something off of the table. He held up a small stack of tickets for the cinema.

*

Narcissa searched through the shelves until she found the book she was looking for. She pulled it off the shelf and say in a large armchair. After a bit, she started to mutter the words on the page.

 _"The first sign of such would be an abrupt change in normal behavior, like a sudden explosion or loss of control over one's emotions,"_ she read, before continuing to read, silent once again.

"Oh, Draco," she murmured. "It came so soon for you..."

*

A few hours later, Narcissa looked up from her book to see Pansy open the door hurriedly, silently closing it behind her.

"There's something wrong with Draco," she rushed out, approaching Mrs Malfoy. "Do you think it's-"

Narcissa held up a hand to stop the young girl. "It is, I've already checked," she spoke softly, eyes small spirals of concern for her son.

Pansy's eyes widened. Then she slumped into the armchair by the one Draco's mother was in.

"But- how- why-" She gasped, putting a hand on her forehead. "He's so _young!_ "

Narcissa sighed. "I know. And if we leave things as they are, he'll be as good as dead by 18."

"But what can we do?" Pansy sighed. "There's no way..." She stopped. "Well, there's a _chance_ ," she said, "but if not..."

"I am well aware. We will simply have to find a way for it to happen, and hope nothing gets in the way."

"Of course. I'll keep an eye on him." _Well, there go my chances,_ Pansy thought. "We'll have to come up with a plan."

"Leave that to me," Narcissa spoke gently. "You just head home. And make sure Draco doesn't know yet."

"Alright," Pansy replied as she got up out of the armchair, then headed back out of the library.

 _Why did it have to be now?_ Pansy thought, using all her mental control not to worry her bottom lip into nothing. _Why now?_

\--

 **Wow, that took more of my energy than I thought it would. What could possibly be happening to Draco, I wonder? Hopefully we'll know more soon.**

 **Now, to answer the reviews.**

 **Guest: Harry's upbringing in the actual story always sounded awful to me when I first read it, and I hate that things like that can actually happen. So of course, the opportunity to take someone out of it is a good feeling, even if he's fictional. And prejudice around people for reasons like their family's past or their sexuality has always been, in my opinion, repulsive, and I'm going to make it clear that that's not what defines a person. Draco's not his father. He's a storage person with storage interests, goals, hoes, and dreams, and hadn't committed the crimes his predecessors have. Wolfstar is two males, but they're still just two people that can love. I myself am not the straightest (bi) and that's not what anyone who know me cares about. Sorry about the rant; I get worked up sometimes.**

 **alix33: Because if there's one person who could make a child more of a prankster than James could, it would definitely be Sirius. And Lucius was Slytherin for a reason, you might be surprised at how close he can get. Who knows, he might even succeed (cue dramatic music)**

 **I.C. 2014: Thank you! I'm extremely relieved that it's considered good work. :)**

 **Unfortunately, no sneak peeks this time, as I have fried my brains out and must regenerate for school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience with me. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out within the next week, but I can't make any promises.**


End file.
